“If he hadn''t wounded me with a hidden weapon back then, I would have definitely won!"


    "But I don''t know where he hides his weapons, or how to defend against them. So I probably can''t help you much."


    "You must be familiar with Puthai''s moves," Tarquin said.


    "I am!” the old man dered immediately. “Back then, I couldn''t stand their family''s underhanded ways, so I dedicated myself to defeating them! I studied them extensively."


    "Then you can help me. By knowing his moves and preparing in advance, I can guarantee a win."


    The old man nodded. "If I can truly help you, I certainly will. Defeating Puthai has always been my dream! Even now, I wish I could get in the ring and fight him myself!"


    "If you''d like to attend the match in three months, I''ll arrange for someone to take you," Tarquin offered.


    The old man''s eyes lit up. "You would really do that?"


    "Consider it done."


    "Excellent! That''s wonderful!"


    ted, the old man was ready to start exining The Punikon Family''s techniques right away.


    "No rush," Tarquin said. "It''ste today. We can start tomorrow."


    "Alright. You''ve traveled a long way, so you must be tired. Get a good night''s rest, and I''ll exin everything to you tomorrow."


    "Mm. I hear the mountain tribes who train eagles live not far from here."


    "Are you interested in the mountain tribes?" the old man asked.


    Feigning a casual tone, Tarquin said, “I saw some videos online of them hunting with eagles. I''m curious how they manage to tame such fierce birds."


    The old man smiled. “Eagle training is their tradition. The nomads are a people who worship heroes. They capture the eagles, break them, and train them. For generations, they have lived side-by-side with eagles. Every family trains them.”


    "In fact, one of the children who studies martial arts with me is a boy from the hignd tribes. He''s only seven, but he''s already learning to train eagles."


    "These nomadic people share a deep bond with eagles. For their men, a life is only considered perfect if they have three things a beautiful wife in their youth, a fine horse in their middle age, and a hunting eagle by their side in their old age." Cóntent


    “To a nomad, a hunting eagle is a soulmate, apanion for life.....”


    As the old man recounted the legends of the hignd nomads and their eagles, Tarquin listened quietly, his eyes narrowed slightly.


    His thoughts drifted back to when Kendrick was still alive...


    None of this was new to him. Kendrick had told him all of it before.


    The reason he had mentioned the mountain tribes was because Kendrick himself had a connection to them...


    The true person he hade to Border City to find was a hignd eagle hunter.


    After a while, the old man added, "If you''re interested in the hunting eagles, I can take you to see them The nomadic people are very hospitable, and know them well. I can show you how they train the birds."


    Tarquin nodded. “Good. Do all families still train eagles today?"


    "Some of the younger generation


    have moved to the big cities and et


    given it up," the old man said. “But those who remain in the tribestill tram them."


    "...I see."


    Around six in the evening, Lowell returned with the local official.


    They all had dinner together at a small local restaurant.


    After the meal, Tarquin and Lowell went back to rest at a small guesthouse in town.


    The ce was remote; there were no luxury hotels.


    The guesthouse they checked into was dirt cheap, but it was considered one of the better options in the area.


    Tarquin had seen hardship before and didn''t care about rough conditions.


    As for Lowell, he had fought dogs for scraps as a kid. He could adapt to any environment.